Holiday Wish List

1. Versace La Mer Fine China...a girl can dream, right?

2. Panini Press (yes, I still want one)

3. Books

4. Letterpress Monogram Cards

5. A Pretty Sweater

To Do:

Prepare for turkey feast.
Cut Jeremy's pretty face.
Try not to make things problematic for Missy.
Attend to Jen if she faints today.
Find sunglasses to reduce the burning brightness and oncoming headache due to the annoying overhead lights.

....

Embellishments

This post is dedicated to my mom, for whom without I would have never known the great importance of embellishments.

em·bel·lish·ment /ɛmˈbɛlɪʃmənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[em-bel-ish-muhnt] An Embellishment is anything that enhances the appearance of something without having any functional purpose.

My mom is very into the act of embellishing. She thinks that everything should be adorned with something else. For example, she turns each gift into a masterpiece. Every gift will be wrapped as to have a little ornament accompanying it or a fresh flower or something that ties into the theme of the gift or the season. She has changed every light fixture in her house to a chandelier - even in the bathrooms. And if the chandeliers don't come with enough embellishment, she will order more crystals or what not and "fix" them up herself. She has been known to take lamp shades and embellish them with strands of pearls or even, gasp, feather boas. The point is that everything that is presented in her house usually has been tampered with, er, embellished.

The embellishing even extends to her appearance. Some people might think this was just part of her fashion, but now I think it is an extension of her desire to embellish. She will be sure to have the right handbag for the occasion and the perfect pair of pumps.

I think she might call me a failure for not practicing what she has so earnestly exemplified, but I do appreciate all the embellished items she has given to me and all the ways she decorates things to make them look spirited and lovely. I admire the way she can create whimsy with an otherwise ordinary object or transform a space from blah to ooh la la. She has talent and I praise and adore her embellishing efforts. Love to you, Mom!

Yay for November!

I am so excited it's November. I really don't have much use for October in my life. It is nice to have the cooler weather, but then there's nothing fun about October until the last day of it - Halloween. Today marks the first day of November and the official start of the true holiday season - Thanksgiving and Christmas. While Thanksgiving has been something of a disappointment for the last 3 years, I'm hoping this one will surprise me and be decent. In about three weeks, we can start decorating for Christmas. Hurray! As Jeremy says, we're going to make it look like "Christmas puked" in here. So fun! Happy November everyone. Let the holiday season begin!